Health & Science

A new way to bronze without catching rays?

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The pursuit of a sunless tan

Despite dire warnings about melanoma, millions of people still recline on tanning beds or sandy beaches to give their pale skin a sun-kissed glow. Now researchers from Boston may have found a way to bronze without fear: A compound that produces a bona fide tan without exposure to harmful UV radiation. The ability to tan is linked to a gene that triggers a chain reaction resulting in the production of melanin, a brown pigment that helps protect the skin against cancer during sun exposure. In certain people— particularly fair-skinned redheads with a specific variant of the trigger gene—this process doesn’t occur, which is why they are so easily sunburned. But the researchers found a way to make melanin without the sun. By developing a compound that blocks an enzyme called salt-inducible kinase (SIK), which deactivates melanin production, they gave pale, red-haired lab mice a golden, two-week tan with no adverse effects. If proven safe for people, the skindarkening compound could be used along with sunscreen to help curb rising rates of skin cancer. “This is not meant to replace sunscreen, but rather is an additional component,” researcher David Fisher tells Smithsonian.com. “UV protection is still absolutely important.”

A global obesity crisis

Bringing Western food to the developing world has a major downside: More than 2 billion people across the globe are now overweight, and it’s taking a toll on their health, new research reveals. “Excess body weight is one of the most challenging public health problems of our time, affecting nearly 1 in 3 three people,” study author Ashkan Afshin tells The Guardian (U.K.). After analyzing data compiled on 68.5 million people in 195 countries, a 2,300- member research team found that obesity rates have doubled since 1980 in 73 countries. Today, 10 percent of all people are considered obese— meaning their body mass index, a height-weight ratio, is 30 or above. That includes nearly 13 percent of children in the U.S., up from 5 percent 37 years ago. Experts contend that poor diet is fueling the global obesity epidemic as more people around the world gain access to cheap, processed foods that are devoid of nutrients but loaded with chemicals and calories. Even if people are overweight (with a BMI between 25 and 29) but not officially obese, says researcher Azeem Majeed, that’s still associated with heart disease, cancer, and other chronic health issues. “The risk of death and diseases increases as your weight increases.”

Olive oil boosts the brain

Nutritionists have long touted the heart-healthy benefits of olive oil, but a new study suggests this “superfood” and its powerful antioxidants may also act to protect the brain from tumors. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh homed in on a key ingredient in olive oil, known as oleic acid. The team performed tests on living cells and human cell extracts to assess the effects of this fatty acid on a brain molecule, called microRNA-7, that helps stop the growth of tumors. They found that oleic acid prevents a protein, known as MSI2, from halting the production of microRNA-7. By indirectly supporting this tumor-blocking molecule, oleic acid may ultimately help prevent the growth and spread of cancer, reports NatureWorldNews.com. “Our findings do suggest that oleic acid can support the production of tumor-suppressing molecules in cells grown in the lab,” says lead author Gracjan Michlewski. “Further studies could help determine the role that olive oil might have in brain health.”

Health scare of the week

Fever raises autism risk

Women who develop a fever during pregnancy are at greater risk for having a baby with autism spectrum disorder—an umbrella term for a group of developmental problems affecting social interaction, behavior, and communication, a new study suggests. Researchers analyzed data compiled on more than 95,000 children born in Norway between 1999 and 2009 and found those whose mothers reported a fever while pregnant had a 34 percent higher risk for autism. The risk jumped to 40 percent if the fever occurred during the second trimester. The more fevers a pregnant woman has, the greater the odds that her baby will be diagnosed with one of these disorders, reports The Washington Post. “Fever seems to be the driving force here,” not the infection itself, says study co-author Mady Hornig. The researchers note that fevers are part of the body’s immune response to an infection, and speculate that inflammatory chemicals may cross the placenta, affecting babies at a critical time during brain development.